As the Snow Falls
by Wistfuldreams98
Summary: A new and chilling case links directly to Mai's past, and as the snow falls, her life hangs precariously in the balance. Naru must construe the case that has been laid before him before it is too late.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Ghost Hunt, if I did the anime would go on forever and ever.

* * *

Mai Taniyama glimpsed out the frost dusted window that out-looked the busy streets of Tokyo.

Only that night, Tokyo's streets were not filled with its' usually busy occupants. Aside from the odd wayfaring stranger scurrying by under an umbrella as white drifts of snow fell upon them, the city was quiet and unsettlingly bare.

Mai sighed from her desk in the Shibuya Psychic Research Office. She'd never considered how odd of a coincidence it was that her boss, Kazuya Shibuya, had chosen a suburb of the same name to lease his office in.

Her train of though was interrupted as an impatient demand for tea was called from said boss's office. Sighing again, Mai removed herself from where she sat at her desk and walked to the small kitchenette at the front of the office.

Reaching into the cupboard that was not-so high up anymore due to her recent growth spurt, she lifted the lid from the tea canister, hurriedly making her boss's beverage.

She sat the teapot and cup at her boss's desk. When he didn't lift his head from his work to acknowledge her, she turned to leave the room.

'You spilt some again' He said in a quiet and almost raspy voice. Small streams of tea had dribbled down from the spout of the tea-pot, replacing old stains that covered the once, pristine-white china.

'You're welcome Naru!' She said in frustration.

Naru rolled his eyes, earning him the nickname given to him for behaving like a narcissistic jerk.

Mai knew that he was no such thing, perhaps just a little self-absorbed with a tendency to be permanently grumpy. But he was kind in ways that Mai could not explain, and when she dreamed, she could sometimes catch a glimpse of one of his rare smiles.

Naru examined her, a bemused expression on her face. She had faint blue circles under eyes from exhaustion and recurring nightmares that upon waking she couldn't remember.

Her warm chestnut hair was longer, reaching midway down her back, her bangs shaping her face and slight, dainty curves had begun to form at her waist. She was beautiful. Of course, but Naru would never admit such a thing.

'Have you finished the filing I asked you to do?' he asked in a bored, drawling voice

'Of course Naru!' she exclaimed. 'What do you take me for?'

Naru sighed. 'Then you can go home for the evening, but I expect you here first thing tomorrow, we have a client coming.'

'Okay Naru, I'll see you tomorrow'. She left the office, retrieved her coat from the cupboard by the door and ventured out into the cold night.

* * *

 _Naru sat at his desk and quietly drank his tea. His thoughts meandered to his purpose here in Japan, the reason he had upended his previous life, a purpose he had been neglecting of late._

 _Naru sighed, burying his face in his hands, his dark hair falling over half of his face like a curtain. He shook his head, disassembling the thoughts that had knotted together like black clumps in his mind._

 _He decided it was time to lock up, and then too, made his way out into the desolate night._

* * *

Mai trudged through the shin-deep snow, arms wrapped around her waist in a cold embrace. Who did Naru think he was, keeping her at work so late? All the other shops on the street had long-since closed, but of course Naru didn't believe in closing the office a minute before the set closing time, regardless of the weather conditions. Of course, working at the office overtime was completely fine for Naru.

A glimpse of red in her peripheral vision caught Mai's gaze.

A woman in a silk-red kimono sauntered through the snow that clumped at her feet.

What on earth was she thinking wearing such a thing in the middle of the snow storm?

"Hey, excuse me! Do you want my coat? You really shouldn't be out here in the middle of this storm.' Mai shouted.

The woman just stared at Mai, and continued walking. Mai regrettably realized that as the woman walked, she left a trail of red staining the pristine snow.

Mai gasped and began to tremble.

'Are you okay?' Mai yelled.

The woman simply smirked, crossing the snow covered streets as she began to move closer to Mai. The woman pulled out a blood-stained dagger from her kimono.

Mai stepped back, trembling uncontrollably. But she slid in the snow, and as she fell back onto the pavement she hit her head on the curb, pain throbbing from her skull. But her eyes never left the woman's face as black began to cloud her vision and she lost consciousness.

* * *

 _Naru traipsed down the street, being careful not to slip in the ice that glazed the foot path. His apartment was not far from the office and Lin would be waiting up for him to return. He looked up at the sky, straining to see the stars through the barrage of snow that fell upon his cheeks and clung to his scarf. He looked down to his feet, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black coat._

 _He was two blocks from his apartment when he noticed a girl lying in the snow, blood trickling from where her head had hit the curb. He rushed to her, knowing exactly who would be foolish enough to walk home by herself on a night like this and be clumsy enough to lose her footing and fall. Panic itched in his chest. He hurriedly crouched down to her, checking the gash on her head. It was not too deep, but she would most likely have a mild concussion. He removed his coat and wrapped her in it, hoping she would not get a fever. Cradling her head in his lap, he pulled his mobile to his ear and dialled Lin's number._

 _'Lin, Mai's slipped and hit her head on the curb, we're just near the Tokyu Den en toshi Line', Naru explained._

 _'I'll be right there', a deep faraway voice replied._

 _Naru sighed, cursing at himself for not accompanying Mai. It was just like her to do something like this. Her friends often likened her to a danger magnet._

 _Naru held his hand to the gash on her head, attempting to slow the bleeding until it clotted._

 _Naru frowned. Fresh footprints in the snow showed that Mai had been walking backwards before she fell. But why? Naru glanced around the forlorn streets. There was no-one in sight. A look of terror had been plastered on her face. Looking up to a low-beam car light, Naru saw Lin turn onto the street. Bundling Mai up into his arms, Naru stood and gently placed her across the back seat of the van._

 _Lin looked back at Mai's unconscious form, concern plaguing his features._

 _'It seems to be a mild concussion. She shouldn't have been lying in the snow for too long, but we should keep an eye on her temperature.' Naru explained._

 _Lin gave a curt nod and turned the ignition key and they made their way back to the apartment._

* * *

 **Chapter One is up! I'm so excited!**

 **Hello everyone- thank you so much for reading, it means more to me than I can say! I'm new to this so I'm sorry if there is any disastrous formatting or obvious spelling mistakes. Please don't hesitate to let me know and I will fix them ASAP.**

 **This story will delve deeper into Mai's past and the deaths of her parents. It will also explore Naru and Mai's relationship and Naru's secret identity. I'm sorry but I won't be using the proper Japanese honorifics (san, sama etc) because I would probably mess it up.**

 **I will update as often as I can, (hopefully at the very least, once a week.)**

 **Read and review and you'll bring me eternal happiness!**

 **Love, wistfuldreams98 x**


	2. Chapter 2

_At a modern-glass coffee table in an English- inspired apartment in Shibuya sat a man. His brows were knitted together in concern, his back was hunched over with fatigue and it was clear that he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders._

 _A deep, muffled chanting resonated from the spare bedroom where an injured girl lay unconscious. Lin was using Qui-gong to encourage Mai's injuries to heal themselves._

 _Naru was quite familiar with it, as Lin had used it on him many times. Although Naru had been taught qui-gong by Lin when he was very young in an attempt to keep his PK outbreaks at bay, healing qui gong could only be used on others. It seemed Naru was almost as danger-prone as Mai._

 _As Naru sat, a steaming cup of tea in hand, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off._

 _Tapping his pointer finger repeatedly against the coffee table, he remembered the tracks that had shown Mai was walking backwards before she tripped and knocked her head. But why? When Naru had arrived at the scene there was no one in sight. Had something frightened her?_

 _Lin finally emerged from the room, a satisfied expression on his face._

 _'_ _How is she?' Naru asked, trying to suppress the concern that laced his voice._

 _'_ _She'll be fine', Lin replied, joining Naru across from where he sat at the coffee table. Lin poured himself some tea._

 _'_ _The bleeding has stopped and her temperature is stabilising', he continued._

 _Naru nodded, taking another sip from his tea._

 _'_ _When will she wake up?'_

 _'_ _It could be anytime now.'_

 _They sat in silence for a few minutes._

 _'_ _I'll go sit with her until she wakes.' Naru placed his empty teacup at the sink and disappeared into the spare room._

* * *

Mai woke to a throbbing headache. Sitting up quickly, unsure of her surroundings, she quickly realised her mistake. Pain exploded at the back of her head and she dizzily collapsed back into the soft flannelette sheets. Looking up, she noticed Naru sitting beside her with a heavy book in hand. It was clearly written in English and with her limited language skills she could only just make out the title, ' _The Unconscious Universe'._ However Naru's attention was no longer focused on the large book. His gaze had landed on Mai, a smirk plastered on his face.

'Don't sit up so fast, dummy', he said in a lazy voice.

Mai rolled her eyes.

'What happened?'

'You don't remember? You must have hit your head pretty hard.' Naru drawled, his eyes resting on the pages of his book.

Mai looked up at him, a quizzical expression on her face.

Naru sighed. 'You slid on the ice and hit your head on the curb'.

'Ugh! So that's why my head hurts so much' she said in exasperation.

He gave her a bored look, as if to say _'No shit Sherlock'_.

"You don't remember anything?' He asked again.

An image of a red kimono appeared in her mind. Pain thudded in her head. She squeezed her eyes shut.

'No...' she said, her voice weak and tired.

For a moment, it seemed Naru was going to say something, but quickly thought better of it.

Mai noticed how tired he looked. His face was pale as ice and his lips were wan and chipped by the wind. His back slouched from it's usually rod-straight position.

The beautiful boy before Mai had grown up. His shoulders were broader and he was now nearly as tall as Lin.

Naru's eyes locked on Mai's and a deep crimson blush spread across her cheeks. But Naru didn't look away- in fact Mai might of thought they were engaged in a staring contest had he not suddenly looked away with a sigh.

'You should get some rest, we have a client tomorrow', he said, standing abruptly and walking to the door at the entrance of the room.

'O-okay...', she stuttered.

'Goodnight Mai' Naru murmured, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

And with that, he closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

Mai giggled and turned to the small dresser at the side of the bed. Switching of the lamp beside her she rolled back into the queen-sized bed and buried herself under the covers.

'Goodnight Naru', she whispered with a smile on her face.

* * *

Mai woke to a dull, throbbing pain at the back of her head. Remembering last night's clumsy calamity, she gingerly sat up.

For a moment she thought she could see the faint outline of a figure at the foot of her bed, startled, Mai jumped back. The apparition quickly dissipated. _What was that?_ Mai rubbed her groggy eyes, hesitating a moment before venturing out into the living room. Lin sat at the carpet, eyes closed, his long, spindly fingers sat on his knees. Mai presumed that he must be meditating and quietly tip-toed past, not wishing to disturb him.

Mai traipsed through to the kitchen and found Naru, already dressed in his habitual black clothes. He seemed to be making tea.

'Morning', Mai mumbled, leaning on the island bench that separated the two of them.

'Morning Mai', he murmured absent-mindedly as he poured tea leaves into the strainer.

'Tea?' he offered.

'Oh... Yeah that would be great, thanks', since when did Naru make her tea?

'How did you sleep?', he enquired, half-turning to face her while the tea brewed.

'Like a babe!', she said, a little to enthusiastically.

Naru smirked, his wispy back hair falling over his face as he put his hands against the counter and tried to dissipate any knots that had formed in his neck overnight.

'Thank you', she said, quietly. 'I forgot to thank you and Lin last night, but really, thank you. I think I'd be pretty screwed if you hadn't found me.'

Naru nodded. 'Of course.'

Mai smiled as Naru handed her tea, nodding in thanks.

They walked to the low coffee table in the living room, Mai being careful not to spill any and earn a reprimand from Naru after he'd been so nice to her.

It seemed Lin had finished his meditation as he joined them, kneeling on the cushions and pouring himself a cup of tea. He wore his usual black vest over a white suit shirt, his hair neatly strewn over half of his face.

Mai smiled at him in greeting.

'How are you feeling Mai?'

'I'm fine, really. Thank you', she assured Lin.

'That's good to hear' he said, giving Mai a small smile.

'Well', Mai said, standing and taking her cup to the kitchen sink. 'I should probably head back to my apartment and have a shower', she said, remembering that they would have a client at the office today. 'Thank you again, for everything.'

'Everything' was quite a general term, but Naru knew what she meant.

'No problem', he said. 'We'll see you at the office in an hour.'

Mai nodded to them both and left the apartment with a sigh.

The rising sun hit the snow and refracted it into beams of light. Bare trees swayed in the fresh morning breeze and school students skipped to school.

Mai was one block away from her apartment when she began to sway. For one moment, she felt as if a burst of energy exploded inside her and then just as quickly, died down.

Mai shook her head and continued down the path. A school girl walked towards her, her dark piggy tales swaying down her shoulders. Only then, she was wearing a red kimono. She held a red-stained dagger in one hand and a baby in the other. Mai shrieked. She had seen this woman before. But where?

Trembling uncontrollably, Mai was paralysed as the woman stepped closer. Her face was mere inches from Mai's as she plunged her dagger through Mai's stomach.

* * *

 **Yay! Chapter 2!**

 **So sorry about the cliffhanger! Hopefully you'll forgive me.**

 **Will update soon.**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Love,**

 **Marina xx**

 **PS- Thank you so much to** **Star0Dragon0Slayeru and** **Nagisa Maeda for my first ever reviews! Thankyou! Go ahead and check out their profiles.**

* * *

 **u/9579413/Star0Dragon0Slayer**

* * *

 **u/7402988/Nagisa-Maeda**


	3. Chapter 3

Mai doubled over as pain sluiced through her torso like a hot knife. She gasped in shock.

She looked up to find the woman's face still only inches from her own, a sick grin consuming her face. The young child in her arms began to wail and the woman disappeared.

* * *

'Hey, excuse me Miss', a young and concerned voice cooed to her while she swam in a deep, inky black pool.

'Are you okay Miss' the voice echoed, reverberating through her stupor.

And then Mai saw light, blinding light as her eyes opened.

A group of school girls encircled her where she crouched on the ground. They looked down on her, worried expressions on their faces.

Remembering the events of the last few minutes, Mai looked down to her stomach in horror.

There was nothing there. The blood stain that had bled into her coat from the stab wound was missing.

Peeling back the layers of her singlets she found no trace of having ever been impaled.

Mai shook her head and cradled her chin in her hands, gasping.

What had just happened?

Was it a dream?

The girl with long, swaying pig tails asked again hesitantly, 'Miss, are you okay?'

Mai looked up to the girl in confusion. 'Oh I'm fine, sorry to worry you, I probably just slipped on the ice'.

The school girls began to glance at each other, quizzical expressions on their faces.

'Umm well you started screaming and doubling over. And then you sort of passed out', one of the girls explained.

'B-but there was a woman' Mai stuttered.

The girls looked to each other again, beginning to think that Mai was mentally ill.

'Miss, there was no-one else here', the pig tail girl said, slowly backing away from Mai.

Sensing the fact the girls before her may find Mai better-fit for a mental asylum, she moved to a crouch and gingerly began to stand, brushing herself off.

'Uh, sorry to bother you, but I should be getting home', Mai began, 'Thank you for your help', she added nervously.

The school girls nodded, dazed expressions on their faces. Mai took the opportunity to push through the crowd and scurry home, trying to comprehend what had just occurred.

* * *

 _Naru sat impatiently at the lounge in his office, a seventy-year-old -woman sitting before him with an uncomfortable expression on her kind face. Her eyes were tired, as if they alone had seen all the hardships of the world._

 _Her short white hair sat sweetly at her chin and a pink, cherry blossom kimono wrapped around her small frame._

 _Where was Mai? Of course it wasn't uncommon for the girl to be late, but Naru still couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong._

 _At long last, the girl in question burst through the door. She wore a plaid skirt over stockings, and a red button-up coat which Mai removed and hung in the cupboard, revealing a gray turtleneck sweater underneath._

 _'_ _You're late', Naru said tersely._

 _'_ _I know, I know, I'm sorry', she said breathlessly._

 _Noticing their guest, Mai introduced herself with a smile. The woman gasped at her in shock._

 _Mai stepped back, a confused expression on her face. But the elderly woman simply dropped her gaze to her lap in embarrassment._

 _Naru exchanged a look with Mai, as if to say '_ What was that about?'

 _Mai shrugged._

 _'_ _Tea', he said to her urgently._

 _Mai nodded and disappeared behind the screen._

* * *

Noticing that Mai had arrived, Lin emerged from his office and moved to sit next to Naru, propping an open lap-top on his thighs.

Mai appeared with a tray of tea, gently laying it on the coffee table between the two lounges. Mai passed a cup first to their guest who nodded gratefully, and then to her colleagues, lastly making one for herself.

Mai sat down next to their client and Naru began his questioning.

'As you know, my name is Kazuya Shibuya and these are my two assistants', Naru explained, gesturing to Mai and Lin.

'Mai you have already met, and beside me is Lin Koujo', Naru continued.

'Now that we are all here', he said with a side glance at Mai, who blushed in response,' would you mind beginning by explaining the occurrences that have led you to believe that you are being haunted.'

The woman looked down at her hands, wringing them nervously.

'My name is Azami Fuyuki', the woman began, still looking down at her hands. She sighed, 'and my family has been cursed for generations.'

'Would you care to elaborate', Naru said, irritated.

Mai cast him a frustrated glance in reprimand.

The elderly woman nodded shyly.

'The curse affects the first born daughters of the family, who dies untimely before their twenty-first birthday, either directly or indirectly.' The woman continued. 'As far as I know, this has been going on for the last century.' The woman continued.

The soft tap of Lin's deft fingers against the keyboard abruptly halted.

'Would you care to clarify exactly what you mean when you say that the daughter dies either directly or indirectly', Lin asked, his blue-gray eyes glued to the computer screen.

The client sighed, lifting her gaze for the first time. 'I mean that they are either killed first-hand by the ghost, lead to their deaths by it or killed in a terrible accident', the woman said, cringing as a single tear slipped down her age-worn cheeks.

Mai covered the woman's hands with her own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

'We're sorry to make you re-live the pain, we just need to know all the details so that we may be able to help you', Mai explained softly.

The elderly woman gave Mai a small smile in gratitude, and Mai returned it with a smile of her own.

'Has anyone else seen this ghost, other than the girls that have died', Naru interrupted.

'Naru!', Mai hissed at his insensitivity.

Naru glared at her.

'It's okay', the woman nodded to Mai.

As the woman spoke, Mai collected the empty tea cups and returned them to the small sink in the kitchenette. Mai was on her way back to her seat when the woman answered Naru's question.

'Yes, everyone has seen her, myself included', the woman sighed heavily through her nostrils. 'She wears a red kimono, and often appears with a dagger and an infant child in her arms.'

Mai swayed.

Images flashed in her mind.

A trail of blood in the snow.

A wailing child.

A blood-stained dagger.

Mai felt the same sensation of a wave of energy exploding within her and just as quickly dying down. Only this time, it was much stronger.

Lin, who had been sitting closest to where Mai stood, quickly caught the girl before she fell.

During the confusion, nobody noticed the large crack that appeared on Mai's tea cup at the sink.

Mai clutched at her head, splitting pain thumping through her skull.

'Mai!', Naru called. 'Mai!'

'Mai, are you alright', Lin said in his deep, gentle voice.

Mai slowly nodded, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

'Yeah, I'm fine', she mumbled. 'Just a bit of a head ache is all. Probably just from hitting my head last night', she explained, attempting to lessen her friends' worry.

'Okay', Lin said, helping Mai stand and leading her to a seat.

Naru did not look away, glancing at Mai with a bemused expression on her face.

'I'm fine Naru', she assured him, and Naru finally looked away, satisfied for the moment.

Naru returned to his attention to his client.

'We will take your case', he said, and the woman before him sighed in relief. 'We will need two bedrooms and a place to set up base.'

The woman nodded in agreement. 'It will be taken care of'.

'We will arrive tomorrow morning', Naru continued. 'Then we will interview anyone else who is a target of the haunting or has seen the ghost'.

Again, the woman nodded, 'Thank you', she said, tears forming in her eyes. 'You're my last hope'.

Attempting to shake of the pain that shrouded Mai's mind in a thick fog, she could not shake the feeling that this would be one of the most horrific cases SPR had ever  
encountered

* * *

 **Hey everyone- hope you're all enjoying the weekend.**

 **Sorry it's taking so long to get to the actual case- but there's just so much I want to establish first- and I definitely don't want to rush it. But I promise, next chapter will be straight into the case, and we'll be reunited with the old Ghost Hunt crew.**

 **As always, don't forget to review.**

 **Love,**

 **Marina xx**


	4. Chapter 4

Mai stood dumbstruck before a large, traditional Japanese mansion. Cherry Blossoms fenced the house and large clumps of snow slid from the triangular-shaped slopes of the roof. Extensions randomly snaked on from the main house and a river of ice spread it's frost-glazed mass through the maze of trees.

'Stop gaping and help Lin unpack the equipment', Naru drawled as he dumped a computer monitor in her arms. The twenty year-old poked her tongue out at her boss's back.

Mai sagged under the weight of the machine but complied, crossing the threshold of the house and disappearing into its mass.

Lin accompanied her, a box of heavy equipment in hand. When Mai glanced behind her to see where Naru was, she noticed the familiar, faint shimmering outline of a figure following in step behind her. After scrutiny Mai determined that it was a male figure. Her eyebrows knitted together, pondering. It didn't feel like a good presence, but it didn't feel like a bad one either.

'Lin', Mai began. Lin cocked an eyebrow at her. 'Can you see what's following us?' The tall man now raised both eyebrows; however he didn't seem the slightest bit concerned.

'You mean Kafil', he said as he continued walking forward with long strides. Mai had to jog just to keep up with the man.

'Ummm, who's Kafil?' Mai enquired, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Lin sighed, shifting his gaze to the girl beside him. 'An old friend', he replied cryptically.

Mai considered this for a moment, her thoughts connecting like dots in her mind.

'Is he one of your shiki?', she asked.

Lin's lips curled in a small smile. 'Yes, he is one of my shiki.'

Mai looked back at the faint apparition and studied it. Despite the translucent form Kafil appeared to Mai as, she couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed more substantial, more alive than Lin's other shiki. For one moment, she could have sworn she saw a small smile tug at the corners of the spirits mouth, only to disappear as the shiki vanished.

Forgetting the weight of the object in her arms as she climbed the stairs, Mai continued to ask her companion questions.

'Lin', Mai started. The man nodded for her to continue. 'Masako told me that shiki are hollow spirits'.

'That is correct', he confirmed.

'Kafil doesn't seem that way to me', she said, puzzled.

A small smile appeared on his lips. He nodded. Their conversation came to a close as they found the room that would be their base.

* * *

 _Naru sat at his desk, habitually tapping his pointer finger against his desk, eyes glued to the monitors. He watched as Lin and Mai set up microphones and took temperature readings. So far, there had been no activity to mention. Not the slightest temperature fluctuations, not the smallest hint of any paranormal activity. Of course, this was entirely normal. Often spirits would shy away at first in defence. However, that response did not seem to fit the case that had been laid before them. The spirit had been described as cruel, calculating and volatile. And judging by the length of the occurrences, this spirit had been dead for a very long time, meaning it would only grow more dangerous._

 _Suddenly, Naru felt a slight tremor ripple through the mansion._

 _No. This spirit was not shy. This was the calm before the storm._

* * *

Mai and Lin methodically worked through the rooms. Naru had instructed them not to leave each other's side. Lin had of course protested that Naru would be left defenceless. Naru had of course won the fight.

Lin later told Mai that he had left Kafil to watch over their friend.

A shudder slid up her spine as the floor began to shake.

Mai felt sick. The metallic smell of blood was pungent in her nose.

Lin looked to her, alarmed.

'Lin, Mai, return to base, now!' A cold voice reverberated through comms.

The two raced down the halls of the house, cracks in the floor nipping at their feet as they turned a sharp corner.

A shrill scream sluiced through the mansion and the very earth beneath them began to shake.

Mai struggled to keep her footing as she clung to the walls. Lin helped her regain her bearings, and they ran to the source of the scream.

They rounded another corner and came to the entrance of a bedroom. As they neared the entrance, a bamboo sliding door was ripped from its tracks, pinning the two to the wall. At the centre of the storm lay a girl, eyes closed, her long black hair strewn about the pillow of her futon as a translucent figure hovered above her. The apparition's long, pale fingers wrapped around her victim's throat. The sleeping girl seemed to be the source of the storm, electricity buzzing like a field around her, hairs standing on end. Lin strained his neck from where his body was bound, to check his young companion, limp and unconscious beside him, still pinned, midair to the wall. Lin felt his own consciousness slowly dim as the very air in the room seemed to vanish. With one last thought, he cast his shiki out to protect his team, and blackness consumed him.

* * *

 _Naru felt the air in his lungs purged from him like a vacuum. Clasping at his throat, he stumbled into the room, where an unconscious girl lay, a look of horror plastered on her sleeping face._

 _The ghost of a woman, clothed in red, hovered above her, icy hands clawing at the girl's throat._

 _Upon seeing Naru enter the room, an irritated expression flitted across her face, only to be replaced with a sickening grin._

 _The spirit flew past Naru, dagger in hand, as she flew through Mai, her knife aimed at his assistant's heart._

 _As the spirit left the room, the table that had suspended his two co-workers in mid air, collapsed, pulling it's captives down with it._

 _Lin awoke with a thud, rubbing his head gingerly as Naru offered a hand to help him up._

 _Naru watched Mai's breathing, crumpled figure below him. She was connected to this case in some way, but how?_

 _'_ _Naru', Lin's steady voice interrupted his thoughts from where he stood, next to the girl who still lay in her futon, unbreathing._

 _Naru sighed. 'She had phsykonesis', he concluded. 'One of the strongest cases I have ever seen,' he mused._

 _Hurried steps sounded in the hallway, the household occupants rushing to investigate the commotion._

 _They had explaining to do. There was much that occurred in this house that Naru had not been properly made aware of._

 _He looked down at Mai's unconscious form, bundling her up in his arms. With calculated steps, he made his way back to base and placed her across the couch, praying she would wake up soon._

* * *

 **Hey guys. I'm so, so, so sorry this is so late! I've just started a new job full time, and any spare time I'm pretty much sleeping. Hopefully, my next chapters will be a bit more regular.**

 **I'd like to send a massive thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, faved or followed so far. You have no idea how much it means to open up my lap top and see all of your kind words. So thank you, really.**

 **Will update asap,**

 **Love,**

 **Marina**


	5. Chapter 5

_'You have some explaining to do.'_

 _Naru's eyes were cold and his voice was ever so slightly raised as his eyes bored into Azami Fuyuki._

 _Her eyes were weary from sleepless nights and filled to the brim with tears. Her two granddaughters flanked her with comforting arms and grim faces._

 _Lin and Mai sat on either side of their employer. Monk, who had arrived earlier that morning, sat to the left of Mai, his head pointed down and his eyes trained on the floor._

 _'We weren't informed of the entire situation, and for that reason, my team was put at risk and we were not able to protect you'. Naru's gaze was unmoving and pinned Azami to where she sat, her head slouched._

 _Mai looked as if she were about to say something, but a single glare from Naru silenced her._

 _The young girl who sat closest to Azami began to speak._

 _'It's not obaasan's fault!'_

 _'Hush Himara', the older girl at Azami's side reprimanded._

 _'It's alright girls', Azami began, sighing._

 _'When I told you that the daughters born to our family would die before there twenty first birthday, I did not lie, rather I did not tell you everything.'_

 _'There is a pattern. The women in our family have always been inherently powerful, to their own detriment.'_

 _`They can move things with their mind, and know things that will happen before they do.' She looks down._

 _'Obviously, not all daughters will die young, as I am in my seventies. But it is those who display these abilities whom are targeted in particular. That, or they are killed by the exhaustion of their powers.'_

 _'I display none of these abilities, and hence have never been targeted by the haunting. That being said, there have been girls who have been targeted and killed by the haunting who display none of these abilities'._

 _'When you first came to us', Naru began, 'You told us that these occurrences had been continuing for the last century at least. Why is it that you chose to approach us only now?'_

 _Azami nodded. 'It is true, both the haunting and the strange abilities the women of our family possess have been occurring long before my time. The reason I came to you ...' She casted a hesitant glance to her youngest granddaughter, Himari who nodded enthusiastically in encouragement.._

 _'The killings are becoming more violent, more frequent. That and ... One of my granddaughter saw your team coming, long before the idea to request your help came into my head, it was Himari who told me that your team was the only chance we had.' She finishes._

 _Naru's gaze fixated on Himari. She had long black hair and chestnut brown eyes that were filled with curiosity. She tilted her head as if deciphering the man before her._

 _'What is that you're looking for here Mr. Shibuya?'The girl asked, her voice soft and lulling. 'Or should I call you by your other name?', she asked, 'You lost him, didn't you?'_

 _Naru looked uncomfortable; his eyes flitted from side to side, searching Himari's face._

 _'Where is he?', Naru chocked, barely more than a whisper._

 _'You will know soon', is all she says._

 _'That is quite enough Himari', Spat the older girl beside Azami._

 _There was an uncomfortable silence, flitting glances were exchanged between the people in the room._

 _Mai's gaze was fixated on her employer, a befuddled expression on her face._

 _'One more question, and you must understand that I need your full disclosure', Naru began, carefully._

 _Azami nodded, 'Of course'._

 _'Upon first meeting my assistant, your reaction was ... not to be expected. You were surprised, as if you had met her before'._

 _Azami's eyes wandered nervously to Mai who twiddled her thumbs, uncomfortable being the subject of the conversation._

 _'Naru leave it. it's probably nothing, I've just got one of those fac-'_

 _'She ... she reminded me of someone I once knew.' Azami interrupted- halfway in a trance._

 _'And who was that?' he asked, slightly irritated._

 _'I can't ... I can't remember', she stammered._

 _Naru cocked an eyebrow in bored disbelief, but decided not to press the matter for the moment._

 _'We will need to interview all of the girls who display the abilities you speak of, they will be closely monitored so that we can prevent the events of last night from occurring again.'_

* * *

 **I'm so sorry! Work has been hectic and I haven't known what to write. Sorry also for the embarrassingly short chapter- just needed to get something out. Thank you all so much for your reads, favs, follows and reviews- it means so much to me that I've got readers from all over the world!**

 **I was having trouble with the tense in this one- so please let me know if there are any obvious errors!**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Take care everyone.**

 **Love Marina x**


	6. Chapter 6

There base was cold at night. The beams of the ceiling creaked and stretched and the distant hum of the computer monitors was all Mai could hear as she mused over the events of the last few days.

A funeral was held for the girl who was killed that fateful night -Niko was her name.

It was a quiet event. There were no tears. The Fuyuki family were no strangers to loss.

There had been no more activity since that night. The occupants of the house walked the halls in fear of what was to come.

Mai sat against the wall of the base, her knees bundled into her chest. She closed one eye, and then opened and closed the other, so that the glass of water that sat on the coffee table before her seemed to be moving back and forth on it's own. A small giggle hitched in her throat.

Monk, who sat beside her on the sofa gave her a worried look.

'I think it's time for you to go to bed missy', Monk said to her with a lopsided grin. He looked tired himself. Monk had spent the afternoon performing mantras around the house to no apparent avail.

'Who are you calling missy? I'll be twenty-one in a week' she called back in a playful tone.

'And yet you still behave like a child', Naru drawled from his computer, not facing her.

Mai seemed angered for a split second, and immediately after looked completely exhausted.

Naru cocked an eyebrow at her.

'Mai?'

'Yeah?'

'Tea'

The girl stood with a _'Harrumph'_ and marched out the door.

The hallways seemed to stretch into oblivion as Mai meandered through the strange house. Her stomach pinched with nausea and a feeling of dread overcame her. The floor seemed to tilt and the girl found herself consumed in inky black waters.

 _Mai stood in the door frame of a darkened apartment. The overwhelming feeling of standing in a not-quite finished jig-saw puzzle plagued her. Sheer curtains billowed, a chill breeze seized her spine, the culprit an ajar window. A small child sat at Mai's feet, the child's father shielding her from the onslaught of furniture that drifted towards them, suspended in mid-air._

 _Mai shifted her gaze to the source of the storm, a woman with her back turned to Mai._

 _The sound of rippling energy scoured the room, electricity crackled in the air. The woman sobbed, her cries heavy and infused with guilt. Mai made her way towards the woman, furniture passing through Mai's non-corporeal form. The closer Mai became to the woman, the more intense the storm grew. Mai found it increasingly difficult to breathe as the static electricity chocked her. She placed a gentle translucent hand on the woman's shoulder. Slowly but surely, the sobbing woman turned her head to Mai. The girl jumped. The woman's face was featureless, blurred and twisted in anguish. Why couldn't Mai see her true face?_

 _At that same moment, chunks of the room seemed to vanish into an unknown void. A tremor shook the apartment, and the woman was sucked into oblivion. The window vanished, leaving a black space in its wake. The screams of the child grew louder, more haunting. The doorway began to disappear, chunks of the frame ripped from its bearings._

 _The door, Mai's gate back to reality._

 _A man appeared behind her, clothed in black, his usual easy smile replaced by a look of panic. Mai whirled around._

 _'_ _Naru', she breathed._

 _Naru wrenched the girl's hand into his grasp and pulled her along, edging closer to the doorway. He threw several alarmed glances behind them as they ran. Mai threw a fleeting look back and immediately regretted her decision. Behind her, still materializing, a woman in a red kimono appeared, dagger in hand, and murderous intent burned into her gaze. Mai gasped._

 _'_ _Naru'._

 _'_ _Keep running', Naru growled._

 _Just as the gateway seemed to vanish, Naru threw her through the doorway. Fury in her assailant's eyes, the woman in the red kimono launched her dagger into Mai's back, just as the girl disappeared from the dream scape._

* * *

Hey guys I'm so so so so sorry this has taken so long. Between full time work and everything else getting time to write and knowing what to write is a little difficult. Next chapter shouldn't take too long. Not sure how I feel about this one, as always, don't forget to read & review x


	7. Chapter 7

Naru sat at the monitors, drumming his pointer finger against the cold desk. His eyes scoured the screens, black and white imaging that failed to shed light on the case.

The man grasped at the information he had before him.

The spectre at root of the haunting was a woman, so far unnamed, who often appeared with the spirit of an infant child. Whether or not this child belonged to the woman in red, it's existence hinted that the she had once been robbed of her child.

Naru was making extreme assumptions, grasping at straws, but the nature of this case screamed revenge.

The woman's spirit robbed every branch of the Fuyuki family's first-born daughters. An eye for an eye. The woman's weapon of choice was a dagger, a very personal instrument of death, further suggesting revenge.

There was one thing he did not understand. Mai. The girl was involved in the strange string of events somehow, but Naru could not piece it together.

Sighing, he turned his gaze to the monk sitting behind him, barely awake. He shifted his eyes to the coffee table Mai had been sitting at. A pool of water leaked from the glass of water at the centre of the table, the culprit a large crack. Naru cocked an eyebrow. He was certain that the break had not been there before. Mai. He had angered her, but the girl's mood was short lived, replaced by exhaustion. Was it possible?

Naru whipped his head to the monitors. Mai had been gone for too long. The hallway camera was down. The screen blacked out with fuzzy snow.

'Lin, Takigawa, hallway, now', he growled as he raced through the door.

He ran down the hallway, the sound of heavy footfalls close behind, he made a sharp left turn to where the camera was situated.

He saw her. Lying crumpled on the floor, blood gurgling in her mouth and a seizure racking her body. Naru ran to her. A girl knelt at Mai's side, attempting to restrain her. She had long black hair and blue eyes. What was her name? Himari. He joined her efforts, terror in his eyes.

'Lin, call an ambulance, now', he bit out as the two men rounded the corner.

'Oh my god, Mai', Monk gasped.

'Shut up and help me restrain her', Naru barked. The monk stood in shock. 'Now!' Takigawa had the good sense to spring into action.

Naru turned to the young girl at his side. 'Miss Fuyuki, what happened?'

'I don't know, I just found her like this', she squeaked.

Naru gasped as blood began to pool beneath the girl.

'Turn her over'. Naru examined the wound on Mai's back from which blood gushed. Pressing his hand to the injury, he attempted to hinder the bleeding. He turned the girl back over and brushed away some of the blood that pooled at her mouth.

Lin re-entered the room with the snap of his mobile. He crouched down to the girl with a palm hovering over her, muttering incantations. The girl's fits ceased and her eyes rolled back.

* * *

Mai felt arms envelope her body. Hands cupped her face. The smell of earl grey. Then nothingness.

* * *

 _…_ _..….Beep….beep.. beep….beep….beep….beep…beep…beep_

 _'_ _Stab wound…. no vital organs…. lost a lot of blood'._

 _'_ _When … she wake?' Beep…..beep….beep….beep_

 _Beep…..beep….beep….beep_

 _' …_ _lost her…three minutes….comatose' beep…..beep….beep…beep_

 _beep….beep…beep…..beep….beep_

* * *

Mai awoke to the steady beeping of a heart monitor. Warm hands entwined with hers and the scent of black tea swathed her. She willed herself to open her eyes, but it was like a vise kept her lids captive. She was tired. So very tired.

'Mai'. Naru's voice was course, weary, but alert.

Her eyelids strained open, inundated with white light. A breathing mask was plastered over her mouth and a UV was buried in her arm. The hands that encased her own quickly retreated.

Her body ached. She felt as if she had been hit by a truck.

'Mai'. When she turned to the boy she saw everything plain on his face, emotions undisguised. She saw the anger, terror, exhaustion, relief. And then his walls braced back up.

'Mai'. His voice was stern now. He cupped her face and swept her fringe from her forehead.

She clumsily removed the breathing mask. Naru made a haphazard attempt to stop her efforts, but he needed to speak with the girl.

'Why am I in the hospital?' Her voice left her like a tumble of rocks. What had happened? Naru withdrew his hands to his lap.

'I was hoping you could tell me', when Mai's face scrunched in confusion, Naru sighed and continued. 'You were found lying in the hall with a stab wound through your back.' The boy sighed. 'What happened Mai?'

Mai shook her head, tears slipped down her cheeks. She didn't want to remember, that awful dream.

'Mai, I need to know what happened'.

'Dream'.

'No Mai, not dream, I need you to tell me what happened to you.'

'It was a dream- that's all I can remember'. He didn't understand, she needed him to understand.

'What happened in the dream Mai?'

'Pieces, only pieces. Unfinished jig-saw puzzle.'

'I need more than that, what do you remember Mai?'

She buried her head in her sheets. 'I was in an apartment. A child was screaming. A woman was causing a storm in the apartment, flying furniture. Naru, the woman was crying.'

Naru scribbled furiously in his little black notebook he had retrieved from his coat pocket.

'I tried to get to the woman, to see her face. But I couldn't. Her face was featureless, blurred.' 'And then the apartment started to tear apart. The door started to disappear. And somehow I knew Naru, I knew that the door was my only way out of the dream. Somehow I knew that if I didn't get to the door before it disappeared, that I would be stuck there forever like a plastic bag in the wind.'

She left him silence to process what she had said. 'Continue'.

Selecting not to mention the appearance of 'dream Naru', Mai loosed a shaky breath and recounted the strange dream. 'I ran for the doorway, but something appeared behind me in my peripherals. It was the woman Azumi spoke of, the woman in the red kimono. She was alone though. I've seen her before Naru, I'm sure of it, but I can never remember properly…Anyway, I thought I'd made it through the doorway, but she launched her dagger at my back.' She shook her head. 'That's all I remember up until now'.

She turned her gaze back to Naru, who's facial expression was indistinguishable.

'Naru'. He did not glance up from his book. 'Naru.'

'What Mai?'

'I think I've had that dream before. But I can never remember it. I always only see fragments.'

He locked his blue eyes with her own.

'What does that mean Naru?'

He sighed, a long, suffered sigh. 'I don't know Mai'.

* * *

I'm sooooo sorry this is so late. I've been so so busy. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. This whole story is turning into a bit of a jumble. Let me know what you think! Thank you so much for all of the kind reviews. Don't forget to R&R x


	8. Chapter 8

_Mai woke in a small child's cot. She turned her gaze to the ceiling, where glowing stick-on-stars blinked at her. A cold breeze escaped from the window sill, eliciting a gasp from her mouth in the cool, swathing darkness. Hushed voices susurrated from beyond her room. She slipped from her cot and tiptoed to an ajar door frame. Two silhouettes lingered by the entrance of an apartment._

 _'_ _You shouldn't have come here,' a female voice hissed. 'I will not be lectured by someone who has simply sat back while her family has disintegrated around her. I do not accept that fate.'_

 _'_ _You are not thinking clearly. You should never have left!' an older female voice retorted._

 _Mai strained from the door frame to hear the hushed conversation._

 _'_ _You are foolish if you think you can run from this,' the same voice continued. 'How much longer do you think you can 'play house' before your past catches up to you? You are endangering all of us with this imprudence. This man, you say you love, he will die. If you truly care for them, you will let them go, else suffer the consequences.'_

 _Mai leaned forward in an attempt to see the silhouettes' faces, but tripped on and exposed nail and fell._

 _Both figures turned to face her. The younger woman looked to Mai with guilt and fear in her eyes._

 _'_ _I do not need to explain myself to you,' the younger woman snapped and the vision melted away._

 _..._

 _A woman sat crumpled against a wall. The room was in scattered disarray. Light bulbs lay smashed at her feet and torn wisps of curtain sashayed in the harsh wind. Outside, white drifts of snow fell on the empty streets of Tokyo. The woman looked up to see the small shadow of a child clinging to the door frame. The woman curled further into herself and cried._

* * *

Sorry for the extended hiatus lol. Hopefully things will be a bit more frequent now. Hope you like this one- sorry it's a bit short but it's all I could get out of my mumble jumble brain. This one was a really sad one to write. Don't forget to read & review xxxx


	9. Chapter 9

_A small child sat curled against a gutter. Smoke unfurled in the alleys and blanketed the desolate night sky from view. The undulating sounds of nearby sirens shrieked and charred newspapers blustered in the midnight-breeze. Mai walked closer to the child, attempting to comfort the girl whose tears mingled with ashes on her pallid face. The crunch of gravel under foot alerted the small girl to the presence of an approaching policeman. Mai backed away. The policeman crouched down to the child's level, and draped a foil blanket over her charred, pink flannel pyjamas. His figure blocked the view of a group of paramedics, slowly wheeling a black body bag into an ambulance. He then gripped the little girl's hand and led her to a nearby police car. The girl was secured in the back seat of the vehicle as the door clicked shut. The little girl peered up at the scorched apartment blocks above her as the car pulled away._

 _…_

 _A man lay limp upon cold floorboards. Shards of glass pierced his back and trails of blood streamed in their wake. Atop this man, a woman clung to his motionless form, slapping his unmoving face in a futile attempt to revive him. Heavy sobs racked the woman's body; her face tainted by black bruises under her eyes. She heard light footsteps behind her, but could not bring herself to face them, to leave the man that she held on to so desperately._

 _A non-corporal spectre watched the scene take place, retreating backwards atop shards of glass and blood. Her head shook furiously and tears spilled onto her face. She felt a light hand upon her back and whipped her head to face the boy behind her._

 _'_ _Naru.'_

 _The boy faced her with such sad eyes._

 _'_ _You can't run away anymore Mai. Deep down, you have always known the truth.'_

 _Tendrils of flames licked at the charred walls and the floorboards moaned in response_

 _But Mai could not bring herself to look into the face of the little girl who watched her mother cry, just as she could not bring herself to look upon the lifeless body of her father._

* * *

Sorry- another short one :( These last few have been so sad to write. Let me know what you think- as always, don't forget to R&R xxxx


	10. Chapter 10

Hi everyone xx

I'm so sorry for the mess that had been this story.

i have decided to do a major rewrite! I won't be completing this story unfortunately- sorry :(

Though for any who are interested- I will begin posting the rewrite shortly :)

Thank you so much for everyone who has supported me during this story, I can't tell you how much it means for even one person to read it x

I will start releasing the rewrite once I have completed it- I'd hate to release it, only not to complete the story later. Thank you so much everyone. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions xx


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